guest post: The Momma Bird

Hello Mrs. Robinson readers! I'm Michelle and I write over at The Momma Bird. I like to write about life, parenting, being a military spouse, educational tips, and of course my faith in God. I also have a fun little vlog that I started up recently to lighten the mood. I was so excited when Megan has the opportunity for guest blogging because I'm a huge fan, and I'm sure you are too! Anyway, I'm so very glad to be here - thank you Megan!!!

As many of you know, Megan has been writing for the Stronger Marriage Blog and I thought this would be a great time to touch base on how being in the military has effected our marriage and how we strive to keep it strong.

Having my husband in the military has taught us SO much about what it means to really be "in it" for the long haul. We have experienced 2 deployments, both times being I was pregnant. I have spent countless nights alone while he was gone on TDY's. I can't count the number of times we get an evening phone call and he has to go into work right then. Oh and did I mention that I'm not even allowed to GO into his work.

Last year, 3 months after I just had our 2nd son, we moved from West Texas to England. We moved from a place I considered "home", where our babies were born, where some of my closest friends lived, the job I loved; to a place across the pond. Neither of us had ever been to England but we knew it was where God wanted us to be.

Our marriage was tested countless times.
- moving to ENGLAND with an 18 month old & 3 month old
- living in a 1 bedroom apartment for over a month waiting for a house to become available
- adjusting to life in a different country with NO friends and NO family
- learning to live on just 1 income instead of 2 with an extra mouth to feed
- trying to figure out our place in our new jobs (jesse with a new team & focus, me being a SAHM)

But time and time again we always come out stronger. We may not be perfect. We have our fights. We get on each others nerves.

BUT

We always kiss:
-goodnight
-when we leave the house
-when we get home
-when we think of it

We always say i love you:
-before bed
-when we leave the house
-when we hang up the phone
-when we think of it

We try our best not to go to bed angry
We try out best to still do the little things

Most of all:
We know that no matter what, God is holding us together - always & forever.



Megan, thank you again - so very much - for having me!

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i am so grateful to Michelle for sharing such great marriage tips for all of us! when i saw her post, i got SO excited that she chose to talk on this subject.
{i guess i just totally geek-out on marriage topics, haha!}
her advice is some that we all need to keep in mind, especially myself!
i can't imagine how hard it must be to have her husband in the military. she truly is a courageous and blessed woman to be able to stay so positive and strong!

thank YOU, Michelle, for sharing your story with us!!
we loved it!

7 comments:

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot said...

Thank you so much for sharing! I'm a new military spouse and I know we've got a long road ahead of us but our marriage will be so much stronger because of it! Im a new follower and can't wait to read your posts. Thanks for this guest post!

... said...

Loved this. So sweet :)

GingerPeachT said...

I can't imagine having my hubby deploy. I got lucky that he doesn't have to deploy but yes it's still hard being a military wife. One thing I add to that list is always encouraging the spouse. I thought that being in the military they get appreciated, but not always so. My hubby has only been praised once in his job for the past 5 years and it's rough.

Great post!

Anonymous said...

I just love Michelle and her blog! Such a great guest post today. I think it is so important to say i love you as often as you can. It makes me sad when I hear of couples who can't remember the last time they told their spouse they loved them. I know it's already understood, but that feeling you get when you hear those three words brings you both so much closer! :o)

Love the sweet picture of you two! Have a happy Thanksgiving!!

the Momma Bird said...

What sweet comments you have all left. Thank you for your encouraging and uplifting words.
Megan - you are such a sweetheart and I'm so very thankful that you gave me the opportunity to share this with your readers :) I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday and a Happy Thanksgiving.

Alexis Kaye said...

wow what a crazy adventure!

Bonnie Gutzman said...

Good to read. :) I can honestly say that my relationship with my husband has been so amazing from the start, but the external hardships of being in the military have been very hard for me. We were married, 3 months later we moved to Germany (also with no friends/huge culture adjustment...but now I LOVE Germany and will be so sad when we PCS), a little over a year after that we got pregnant, right after our son was born we found out my husband had to deploy for 14 months. He left before our son was even consistently rolling (and still waking up about 5+ times a night), now he's walking and his daddy is still gone. And same thing-my husband worked nights and weekends when he WAS home, and I also couldn't go into his work or hear about the specifics of what he does. Talk about 3 years of crazy emotions and adjustments! I am back in the states to finish my degree while my husbands gone, but miss my friends in Germany who have had the same experiences as me. It's a good reminder that there are still others out there going through similar hardships. I just wish I could get together with some people who know what it's like and talk about it. Thanks for the post :)